This invention relates to fluid treatment, and in particular to a control system for treating biological and algae contaminants normally found in industrial, commercial and recreation water.
United States industries use substantial amounts of water for its various processes. Approximately 70% of the water used goes into cooling systems. As the United States economy continues to expand water use will also expand. Because of water resource constraints, industry's use of recirculated water will expand at an ever greater rate.
Recycled water generally has impurities and bacteria build up. In open cooling towers, the addition of bacteria and particulate matter is unavoidable due to the cooling tower being exposed to the open atmosphere. Non-treatment of recycled water leads to malfunctioning of the water system, costing industry billions of dollars annually in lost production, wasted energy and premature replacement of equipment, as well as creating a regional hazardous environment about the cooling towers.
In order to control the build up of toxic bacteria, such as Legionella, traditional water treatments systems employ biocides which, while effective, are difficult to handle due to their toxicity to humans. In addition, biocide use must be monitored either manually or with automatic instrumentation. Prior art treatment systems are also costly.
Not only do United States industries use substantial amounts of water for its various processes, this country's population also uses substantial amounts of water in recreation use. One of the biggest recreational uses of water is in swimming pools and spas. Swimming pools and spas will generally use a combination of filters and chlorination as a means of controlling bacteria in water. While the biocial properties of chlorination are effective to kill bacteria, the chlorine itself may be deliterious to other equipment as well as being uncomfortable for users in the swimming pools and spas. In addition excess chlorine in the water often imparts an undesirable taste and odor to the water. Effluent chlorinated water has also been deemed harmful to the environment by the EPA.